In the current methods for extinguishing a fire, one or some of the elements are usually removed from the fire triangle (oxygen, heat and fuel) and/or from the chain reaction thereof.
There are essentially four different methods for extinguishing a fire:                Asphyxiation: this method aims to remove the oxygen. In order to do so, blankets, earth and water etc., are usually used.        Cooling: in this case, attempts are made to reduce the temperature of the combustible materials so that they do not burn. Water is usually used to put out the fire.        Fuel dispersion or isolation: this method aims to prevent the fire from spreading by putting in place barriers, which stop it from reaching more combustible materials. Firebreaks or cutting vegetation are the methods most commonly used against the development of wildfires.        Chain reaction inhibition: this method interrupts the chain reaction using chemical substances. Chemical powder extinguishers function using this method.        
In order to extinguish a fire, the “fire triangle”, consisting of fuel, oxygen and heat as mentioned above, which is responsible for the combustion, must be broken or weakened by human action. It is possible to distinguish three phases when it comes to extinguishing a fire: fighting, controlling and ending the fire.
Water is the best and fastest-acting means against fire, since it cools the fuel whilst also insulating it from the air, thus removing oxygen from the fire triangle. Water should be directed towards the base of the flame. The problem with using water is that it is difficult to find it near a wildfire and transporting it to the site of the fire is also difficult.
Of the means used to extinguish wildfires, it is worth highlighting aerial means, which make it possible to quickly transport water to the fire front. Two types of plane are currently used, which differ from one another in the way they must load the water. Amphibian planes, which load the water during flight at reservoirs or protected areas of the coastline (rivers, ports, bays, etc.), and planes that load the water on the ground by means of hoses.
In addition, helicopters with hanging deposits, which are loaded with water from the ground or are submerged at a water intake point, are occasionally used. Water loading points must be relatively close to the fire in order to enable these helicopters to operate effectively.
FR-1548733-A teaches a container arranged under the fuselage of a helicopter. The container contains receptacles housing a fire-extinguishing fluid. The receptacles can be dropped from the helicopter in flight by opening an outlet hatch of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,693-A teaches an aircraft with water filled bags within a bomb bay, whereby these bags can be dropped into a fire on the ground.